INTERVIEW: M’sian Pro Free Runner, Abudi Alsagoff Talks About Jumping Off Roofs, Taking Risks & His Greatest Achievements

By Ameera Rosli  •  12 Apr 2021 in Features

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It’s surely interesting to be Malaysian pro free runner Abudi Alsagoff because you get to tell strangers you meet on the street that you jump off buildings for a living.

This established parkour artist already has a tonne of experience and achievements to his name but he continues to add to his profession and inspire others to follow in his footsteps.

It’s not everyday you get to read the musings of a pro free runner so we at JUICE decided to have a short chat with Abudi to get to know more about him and his proudest moments in a career that is not well-explored in Malaysia.

Here’s what the runner had to say…

If you had to describe yourself and what you do to someone you’ve never met before, what would you say?
I jump off buildings and go roof to roof!

What made you choose Timberland when you decided to make that viral video?
It’s a pretty cool brand that I am interested to explore a partnership.

Do you think that pro runners have a unique sense of style? If they do, what are some of the brands that you personally enjoy wearing?
Yes! I believe a lot of pro freerunners have their own unique sense of style. No particular brand that I have in mind.

In the list of careers, being a pro free runner is definitely unique. Who inspired you to pursue this as a career?
Jackie Chan is definitely in that list.

Being a professional free runner must not be easy. What was the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done and how do you constantly push yourself to do more challenging stuff?
Most of the commercial shoots we did involves a lot of high building-roof jumps. One of the most dangerous jumps was a roof gap jump over 30+ floors in KL. As for pushing myself, it’s mostly to keep up with my training and make sure we don’t take any unnecessary risks.

How do you calculate your risks and how do you know when not to go too far?
Every jump you are about to make, you will know whether you can make it easy, or with a bit of effort. So, with every jump, you have to see in person whether it’s too big or not. Taking risks would be still doing a jump that you’re not 100% sure you’ll make it. You don’t take those jumps if you know the consequences would be fatal.

That’s how you know not to go too far…

As of right now, where is your favourite location for you to run and do parkour?
Santorini, Greece is on top of the list!

What was your proudest moment in your entire career?
I believe being a part of the URBEX TV show, and having the opportunity to host the CHANGEMAKERS TV show. I’d definitely love to explore more TV show hosting!

How has Covid-19 affected your work and how do you manage to work around the limitations?
A lot of projects and shoots simply got delayed, so I have been up-skilling with getting certified in social media marketing by Facebook.

 

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A post shared by Abudi Alsagoff (@abudialsagoff)

When you’re not working, how do you choose to wind down and relax?
Playing mobile games and watching some shows.

If a young child came up to you and asked for tips to become a pro runner, what would you tell them?
Always learn how to build your personal brand, learn digital marketing and get good in your skills!

Keep up with Abudi on Instagram and Facebook.